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Harnessing the Power of Confidence in the Workplace
I was struck, in watching NFL games over the weekend, how powerful an edge confidence gives to a player and a team. My Green Bay Packers, on top of the world when Favre was on top of his game, have fallen to an abysmal state they suffered for 13 long years before Brett showed up. […]
Continue ReadingLeadership is About Responsibility and Sharing Knowledge
I’ve had a fascinating couple of weeks meeting people, giving presentations, answering questions, asking some of my own. I’ve met a lot of edgy people–impatient, frustrated, nervous, anxious, wistful, naive, clueless. I guess that describes all of us at one point or another! My leadership development work takes me to the offices of a diverse […]
Continue ReadingUsing the Most Powerful Tool In Your Office, the Phone
One of the most powerful tools we have in our offices is the telephone. It’s often the one that’s most abused. Do yourself a favor and take a second before you place a call or answer one to clear away distractions. Don’t read or write email messages, look up directions to a client’s office, file […]
Continue ReadingGrooming your Companies Best and Brightest
Companies talk a lot about attracting and retaining the “best and brightest” as a means of improving their competitiveness and success, but when I ask for a description of the B&B, I get a lot of generalizations. Top of graduating class, proven track record, natural leader, high-energy ‘can do’ attitude, results orientation. Great characteristics, all. […]
Continue ReadingTips to Stay Positive When You Have a Negative Boss
I wrote a while ago about a worker who asked me how he was supposed to be confident when his boss was always harping on what’s wrong. I said I’d offer suggestions later about how to provide feedback to a boss like this to help him understand how destructive his hand wringing is. Giving feedback […]
Continue ReadingTo Change your Life, Feed a Dream. Starve a Worry.
It’s cold and flu season again and as we suffer the nasty symptoms and wish we could feel better faster, we think of the old adage, “Feed a cold, starve a fever.” Or was it the other way around? Whichever way it was, this advice represents a remedy that is within our reach. Using this […]
Continue ReadingEvery Sunset is as Different as Every Day
I was driving home from a late afternoon meeting today with a dear friend who is struggling to do the right thing for his ailing, failing mother. He tells me with tears in his eyes how she kicked his butt when he was young and taught him what it took to be a man of […]
Continue ReadingWe All Have Different Workplace Skills
I spent the weekend doing something I hate–working on taxes. My kitchen table looks like how my brain feels: scattered, piled, pseudo-organized. Painstakingly, I made my way through receipts, carefully recording sums in the proper places, tallying once, twice, three times to make sure no error would invite an IRS visit. This is an over-reaction […]
Continue ReadingThree Essential Characteristics for Success
People often ask me, “What do I need to do to be successful?” The answer to that question depends on a lot of things, not the least of which is your personal definition of success. For some it’s money. For others, fame. Still others want freedom. There are many varieties of success, making a simple […]
Continue ReadingFinding Your Voice in the Workplace
It’s time to begin work on a new book and I vaguely dread the isolation and difficulty of extracting thoughts and feelings from my being to share them with interested others. It’s hard work–even exhausting sometimes–because until you see words on the page, you don’t necessarily know what you really feel about things. Coming face-to-face […]
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